Once On This Island’s Hailey Kilgore on Her Ariana Grande Obsession, Baking Dreams & Strong Sense of Self

In some ways,Once On This Island star Hailey Kilgore is simple girl from Portland, Oregon, who worships Ariana Grande and loves (as fans know from her vlog) Kit Kats. As a lifelong theater fan making a splashy Broadway debut, the 18-year-old exudes enthusiasm for every new experience: greeting fans at the stage door, meeting fancy visitors backstage and being deemed eligible as a leading lady for the 2018 Tony Awards. It isn’t difficult to see the connection between Kilgore and her character Ti Moune: they both have a wide-eyed wonder, sweetness and surprising strength. We caught up with Kilgore to talk about growing up as a theater geek, her baking obsession, and what she’s learned (so far) on her Broadway journey.

God, That’s Good!
Kilgore credits her love of theater to her family. “My parents owned a theater company when I was born, and I would literally sit in the stage manager booth [when I was a kid] during the shows and watch. Sweeney Todd was always my favorite show growing up. My dad would be Sweeney. We’d have mock rehearsals in our living room. I would alternate: I was either Mrs. Lovett, or I was Lucy. All right—honestly, truthfully, I would play every part that my dad wasn’t singing.”

Making the Grade
Despite the living room rehearsals of Sweeney, Kilgore's path to the stage wasn't necessarily an easy one. “My [fourth grade] teacher Mr. Smith put on a very special production of The Nutcracker. I grew up with a learning disorder, and so that made school hard for me. The kids that had the good grades always got the lead parts. Because I was struggling in school, I was like ‘I don’t know if I’m going to get it.’ I remember my teacher made me one of the lead dolls in the elf’s shop. I got to sing a song all by myself. Not only did he really make me work for that, but the feeling of support and love from my friends, from my family, from the people in the audience, that really made me want to keep doing it every night.”

Watch the Throne
Before being a theater queen, Kilgore had a brief stint as a pageant queen. “I didn’t grow up in a household where everything was easy. Our parents taught us to work hard. I competed for Miss Oregon’s Outstanding Teen, which is a scholarship program under Miss America. Literally, I think we signed on the week before the cut-off. And then I won. [Laughs] That experience was so beautiful. I learned about so much about myself and about the world.”

Dangerous Woman
Kilgore’s dressing room jams of choice are usually sung by Ariana Grande. Though Grande hasn’t come to see Once On This Island (yet), Kilgore is only one degree of separation from the ponytail-rocking chart topper. “Ariana Grande is a little, teensy obsession. I actually performed on The FANatics Tour in Portland with her brother, [former Broadway.com vlogger] Frankie. I LOVE HIM! He sang this rendition of ‘I Believe’ from The Book of Mormon, but he changed the words. He was just like ‘I’m here. This is my personality; this is what I’m like. You can like it, or you can leave it.’ We were backstage, and he walked up to me and said, ‘I love your outfit, and you are so beautiful. Your voice is so beautiful.’ I remember just being like, ‘Wow!’”

You Do You!
Though she has been given plenty of advice on her Broadway journey thus far from mentors she admires, Kilgore has plenty of fantastic advice to dish out herself. “In this world, as a young woman, you have to stand so firm. There are going to be people that are going to try and drag you down. There are people that are going to try and tell you every single thing that’s wrong with you. You know what? As long as you are a respectful and kind human being, you stand up for what you feel. That took me a really, really long time to embrace. It can be very easy to have people tell you who you’re supposed to be. Don’t ever lose sight of who you are. You do you! If you feel like standing up to a bully, do it. If you feel like, ‘Wow, I look really cute today.’ Fine! Say it! Don’t let other people push you to be a certain way.”

I Can Bake, Too
She’s got a flawless singing voice, an incredible stage presence and Ariana Grande’s entire musical catalog memorized—what can’t she do? “I'm obsessed with baking. I love to cook, and I love to bake: cupcakes, quiche, danishes, anything really. I would love to bake with Christy Altomare. But not a bake off. She would beat me in, like, two seconds.”